8 Ways That Local Government Uses Text Alerts

It takes a lot to keep a local government functioning, no matter how small. Whether it’s a township, village, town, city, or county, local government officials need to be able to manage and coordinate well. They certainly have a lot on their plate, and many local government workers find that sending out text alerts helps them to communicate in an effective way. Here are 8 ways that local governments take advantage of text alerts.

Road Updates

Some small local governments use text alerts to let citizens know about closed roads or closed bridges, as well as detours. Governments may also use text alerts to inform people about road conditions during inclement weather.

Office Closings

Governments of any size can use text alerts to keep both citizens and employees in the know about government office closures due to weather or holiday hours. Sending this kind of update via text helps eliminate confusion and can greatly reduce the number of phone calls or emails the office receives asking whether or not the facilities are closed.

Community Events

Government employees use text alerts to update citizens on the details surrounding upcoming community events. Text messages can make citizens aware of the date and time of the town meeting, the community picnic, the county fair, or any other event.

Emergencies

Texting is a quick and efficient way to make a large number of people aware of an emergency. Letting citizens know about a serious crime, disaster, or some other emergency in the area can do a lot to help a community be safer and more prepared.

Staff Issues

Local governments use texting to coordinate employees regarding internal issues. Texting can inform government employees about malfunctioning servers/equipment or any other kind of issues, helping keep everyone on the same page and everything running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Coordinating Departments

Coordination between different departments within a local government can be tricky. Text alerts help to solve miscommunication issues, and some local governments utilize text messaging to help manage specific departments such as Human Services or Recreation.

Local Project Updates

If a local government has some big project underway, communities appreciate being kept up to date. Government workers realize this, so some local governments use text alerts to let citizens know what’s going on with the latest government projects—deadlines, locations, progress reports, and any other details.

Any Other Updates!

The needs of local governments are as unique as the people who run them. Text alerts can be used to assist communication and keep people updated on anything they might want (or need) to know.

So get organized, and be creative! Let text alerts be an effective tool for your government or organization.

2 thoughts on “8 Ways That Local Government Uses Text Alerts”

David Croccosays:

I am an assistant city attorney and the jurisdiction I work for is thinking about utilizing automated text alerts to prevent/reduce the number of failures to appear in court. I was wondering if you were aware of any privacy or other legal concerns associated with such texting.

Hi David,
Thanks for getting in touch! Everything should be ok, as long as you don’t harass people too much, and if they ask to stop receiving messages, that you stop sending them. This is handled automatically by the system. When someone replies ‘stop’ to one of your messages automatically removes them from the system.